Stephens County Arrest Records and Busted Mugshots

Stephens County is located in northeast Georgia with its county seat in Toccoa, and the county borders South Carolina to the east, making it a cross-border area where some arrest activity involves coordination with South Carolina law enforcement. The Stephens County Sheriff's Office maintains all Stephens County busted mugshots and arrest records for Georgia-side bookings. If you need to search Stephens County inmate data or find records from a recent booking, this page covers both county-level resources and statewide Georgia tools.

Stephens County Sheriff Inmate Search and Jail Bookings

The Stephens County Sheriff's Office in Toccoa is responsible for all Stephens County busted mugshots, jail bookings, and arrest reports. The county jail sits in Toccoa and processes bookings for arrests made by the sheriff's office, the Toccoa Police Department, Georgia State Patrol, and other agencies operating in Stephens County. The county does not maintain a real-time public online inmate search portal. Direct contact with the sheriff's office or use of statewide Georgia tools are the most reliable paths for current booking data.

To request a copy of a Stephens County arrest report or booking photo, submit a written open records request to the Stephens County Sheriff's Office. Include the subject's full name, approximate arrest date, and any booking number you have. Under the Georgia Open Records Act, the office must respond within three business days. Fees for copying beyond the first 20 pages apply at $0.10 per page.

Stephens County falls under the Northern Judicial Circuit, which it shares with Habersham, Franklin, and Hart counties. Cases that progress from the local level to superior court may have records held at the circuit court level. For cases with a long court history, check with the Northern Circuit superior court clerk in addition to the Stephens County Sheriff's Office.

The screenshot below shows the Georgia Crime Information Center, which is run by the GBI and holds criminal history data for all Georgia counties including Stephens.

GCIC is one of the most thorough statewide sources for criminal history data in Georgia and covers all arrests and dispositions in Stephens County.

Georgia Law on Booking Photos and Mugshot Websites

Two key Georgia laws shape how Stephens County busted mugshots are handled. First, O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19, passed in 2014, bars Georgia law enforcement from posting booking photos online. The Stephens County Sheriff's Office cannot display arrest photos on any public website. You can still get a booking photo through a formal open records request, but the county won't post one publicly on the web.

Second, if your photo appears on a third-party mugshot website, O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5 gives you a right to request removal. The site must remove the photo within 30 days at no cost when your arrest qualifies for record restriction. You send a certified mail request to the site's registered agent. The Georgia Consumer Protection Division has a page that explains the process in detail and covers which types of sites fall under the law.

The Georgia Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 controls how agencies respond to records requests. Agencies must respond within three business days. The first 15 minutes of staff time are free, and the first 20 pages cost nothing. Pages beyond 20 run $0.10 each. These rules govern Stephens County open records requests for arrest files and booking photos.

Statewide Georgia Tools for Stephens County Records

When Stephens County does not have its own online inmate search, statewide tools cover the gap effectively. The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC), operated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, holds criminal history data for every Georgia county. GCIC covers arrests, charges, and dispositions and is a practical way to search for Stephens County arrest records going back several years.

The Georgia Felon Search at georgia.gov costs $15 and returns instant felony conviction results for any Georgia county. The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free and shows photos for people in state prison, including those serving time after Stephens County convictions. The Georgia Sex Offender Registry is free, searchable by name or address, and covers all Georgia counties. The GBI handles formal statewide open records requests through its online portal.

The screenshot below shows the Georgia Felon Search service, a paid statewide tool that returns instant felony conviction data for Stephens County and all other Georgia counties.

The Georgia Felon Search charges $15 and returns results quickly for felony convictions tied to any Georgia county, including Stephens.

Stephens County Arrest Records and Open Records Requests

Getting a Stephens County booking photo or certified arrest record requires a formal written open records request. Submit it to the Stephens County Sheriff's Office with the subject's name, approximate arrest date, and any booking number you have. The office must respond within three business days. For GBI-held records at the state level, submit through the GBI online records portal. The GBI portal can also help you identify which agency holds the specific record you need.

Booking photos from the Stephens County Jail are public records. The 2014 law prevents the county from posting them online, but you can obtain a copy through the formal request process. For third-party site removals, the certified mail route under state law is the right channel. The Georgia Consumer Protection Division walks through the process step by step.

The screenshot below shows the Georgia Consumer Protection Division page on mugshot websites, which covers your rights when a Stephens County booking photo appears on a third-party site.

Georgia law requires mugshot companies to remove photos within 30 days at no cost when the underlying arrest qualifies for restriction under state law.

Cities in Stephens County

Toccoa is the county seat of Stephens County. No cities in Stephens County meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. County-level and statewide resources on this page are the best starting point for anyone searching arrest records and busted mugshots tied to Stephens County addresses.

Nearby Counties

Stephens County borders several northeast Georgia counties. Each has its own arrest record and inmate resources.